Jordan’s King Is Hopeful in L.A. Visit

King Abdullah II of Jordan, in his first visit to California since he took over the throne last year, told 1,000 audience members at a Beverly Hills luncheon Monday that he is encouraged by prospects for peace in the Mideast.

In a strongly applauded speech before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, the 38-year-old king suggested that Israel’s recent withdrawal from southern Lebanon may bear fruit on other area borders, as long as leaders in Israel, the Arab nations and the United States are pressed to pursue peace.

“We can have peace in the Middle East and have it quickly,” said Abdullah, who assumed his position in February 1999 when his father, King Hussein, died after a reign of 47 years.

Most notably, Abdullah told listeners that his recent visit with Syria’s President Hafez Assad encouraged him about the possibility of a peace agreement between Syria and Israel. “I was very pleasantly surprised; the door is definitely open,” Abdullah said.

His lunchtime talk, which was emceed by World Affairs Council official and former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, was short on pomp but heavy on security. The athletic-looking monarch appeared bareheaded and wore a brown business suit as he sat at a head table with Christopher. His wife, Queen Rania, in a white outfit and a long lime-green scarf, also sat on the dais.

As listeners stood for the American and Jordanian national anthems, scores of security guards and police prowled the banquet room floor, the hotel grounds and the roof. The security detail, which included bomb-sniffing dogs and camouflaged sharpshooters, was a mixed force of the king’s own men, U.S. Secret Service bodyguards, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Beverly Hills Police Department and hotel security.

In addition to discussing Mideast peace prospects, the king announced that he wants his nation to develop a California-style economy, with software and communications technology in the desert. In fact, the king said Jordan was looking to this state as a model in many respects. “This state has set an example to the world for dealing with natural resources and, unfortunately, natural disasters. . . . We in Jordan are watching closely.”

Jordan, which is east of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Palestinian Authority lands, is slightly smaller than Indiana. Almost half of its 4.5 million people are age 15 or younger, and the nation struggles with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources.

The king’s visit to Los Angeles, which lasted only hours, is part of a whirlwind public relations tour that included a visit to Silicon Valley earlier in the day and a stop at the White House today.

A former student at Massachusetts prep schools, Oxford University and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Britain, the king has earned a reputation as a modern, Western-oriented ruler. As if to solidify those credentials Monday, Abdullah congratulated his audience at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the Los Angeles Lakers’ win in the playoffs the previous night. He also drew heavy cheers and applause when he wished the team luck in the NBA finals.

In introducing Abdullah, Christopher described him as a young, vital force in the region who has already done much to improve his nation, particularly when it came to shaking up its “ponderous” bureaucracy. As part of these efforts, Christopher said the king has been known to visit government offices in disguise to see how his nation’s people are treated. “He’ll appear as a rotund, bearded, one-eyed vagabond,” Christopher said. “He doesn’t travel in a limousine. He takes a taxi.”

Though his visit to Los Angeles was brief, the turnout for his appearance was among the World Affairs Council’s largest in many years. “We usually get a good turnout for kings, maybe because there just aren’t many of them,” said Mary Morris, council vice president.